Please help me decide what finishes to use

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2
Location
Manchester,NH
Hi All!

I have been lurking for a while now and made the leap to joining today. I am redoing my dining room. The window and door trim is knotty pine stained Cabot Cajun Spice with Cabot semi-gloss poly. The wainscoting, chair rail and baseboard is currently unfinished. The floor is Oak and will be refinished too.

If I use a oil based poly on the floor it will naturally take a golden hue. A water-based poly will go on clear and not color the wood.

I have no idea what colors or finishes to use to make the room look good. I'm hoping you all could eye ball the picture and give me your opinions of what you think may look good.

PC160022.jpg

Thanks!
 
Welcome Joe !!

3 thoughts come to mind

Since the overall style with the knotty pine and wainscoting is country or rustic I would either stain the chair rail and the wainscoting the same color as the floor and casework then paint the upper wall an off white or light tan color.

Or
Paint the wainscoting one subtle color and the top wall a lighter hue of the same color.
or.
Although the idea of painting over a natural wood finish goes against my principles, You could make the room more formal ny painting all the millwork a glossy white or cream color and then paint the wainscoting the way my second idea was.

Looks like the floor could use a good cleaning and maybe a quick topcoat. Looks in good shape though.

Good luck :thumb:
 
... The window and door trim is knotty pine stained Cabot Cajun Spice with Cabot semi-gloss poly. The wainscoting, chair rail and baseboard is currently unfinished. The floor is Oak and will be refinished too.

...oil based poly on floor will take a golden hue. Very Desireable with oak . Tony B
A water-based poly will not color the wood. Oak without some ambering looks kinda lifeless to me.. Tony B

I have no idea what colors or finishes to use to make the room look good.
I'm not going to comment on finishes because there will be plenty enough coming from others. What I would suggest is this: Your room is small and you should keep the floor light and natural to help it look larger. Also, with all of the borders such as wainscoting, chair rail, baseboard and whatever, you are again making the room look smaller. If it were mine, I would probably just paint the window trim and baseboard white to make the room 'larger'. At the very least, I would keep the wood tones as light as reasonable. Thats just me.. Tony B
 
Thanks Bob and Tony,

I am going for a rustic country feel. The window trim is new and I would prefer to not paint over it. Would it look strange if I finished the chair rail and baseboard in the Cajun Spice and just applied poly to the wainscoting? The floor is going to be refinished after Christmas. I may do the floor before I do everything else to see if that helps me visualize the wainscoting finish.
 
Thanks Bob and Tony,

I am going for a rustic country feel. The window trim is new and I would prefer to not paint over it. Would it look strange if I finished the chair rail and baseboard in the Cajun Spice and just applied poly to the wainscoting? The floor is going to be refinished after Christmas. I may do the floor before I do everything else to see if that helps me visualize the wainscoting finish.

It's not a matter of looking 'funny' but a matter of looking 'small'. I think the contrast is really cool looking but something to think about. How's this for a compromise.......go with your original plans with the thinking that you could always paint the trim white if it makes you feel closed in.
As for when to finish the floor, well, I'm a klutz, I drop and spill everything. I would do the floor last. Whatever you decide will be the right choice. Life just seems to work out that way.
 
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